Public and Global Health

Program Contact:

PREREQUISITES FOR PROGRAM ENROLLMENT/WHO SHOULD ENROLL?

Students should have completed at least two years of undergraduate work before participating in this program. Calculus or statistics and at least one social science course are helpful but not required.

COURSES AND COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

Introduction to Public and Global Health (4 credits; Mon & Tues, 11am – 12:30pm, Wed: 11am- noon): This intensive course will be taught for students in this program only, and will form the cornerstone of the program. Through detailed case studies of communities in the US and across the world, students will gain an in-depth understanding of how biological, behavioral, environmental, and public policy components come together to determine the health of populations.

This course will meet once per week for field trips, visits by local public health and research leaders, and career development workshops.

Public Health Research and Practice (4 credits; hours depending on mentor):

Hands-on internship and/or shadowing opportunity with a Pitt Public Health faculty member to work on research or get involved in a community health project. Instructor: Various faculty

Graduate Elective (2 – 3 credits):Students will choose one graduate level advanced course in public health. Ambitious and well-prepared students may be allowed to enroll in two electives with permission. Choices will be:

EXPLANATION OF EXPERIENTIAL/OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM COMPONENT

For the Public Health Research and Practice course (4 credits), students will work individually or in pairs with Pitt Public Health faculty. There will be opportunities for laboratory, quantitative, or social science research, opportunities to work in the field with community organizations or health agencies, and opportunities to work in clinical settings.

MORE ABOUT THE PROGRAM

This program will provide a comprehensive, hands-on introduction to the field of public health. Students will learn to analyze and tackle critical world health problems through the integrated application of biological, social, and quantitative sciences. It will focus on the critical thinking skills and real-world tools used by health professionals to track outbreaks of emerging disease, evaluate environmental threats, and develop community-based prevention and wellness programs.